Games Promoting Cooperative And Interactive Play

ABSTRACT

Games in which players cooperate to help each other score points or win prizes are described. In a game, players are grouped into rooms where they can collect puzzle pieces using a random selection technique, such as a spinner. The spinner can provide puzzle pieces, points, additional spins, and/or loss of spins. The player can position a puzzle piece on a game board, offer to give a puzzle piece to another player in the room, and/or offer to trade a puzzle piece for another player&#39;s puzzle piece. The other players can accept or reject proposed gifts and/or trades. The player can collect and use the puzzle pieces to complete the puzzle. The player can earn points for completing the puzzle, which may be used to win a prize.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to games and particularly to games thatencourage positive social interaction through cooperative play inreal-time multiplayer online environments.

2. Related Art

Typical online games targeted to casual players (often called “casualgames”) are strongly influenced in their design by console or arcadegames. Consequently, most casual games adopt a competitive,challenge-oriented, or ‘beat the clock’ format. Further, most casualgames provide for little or no interaction between players other thanchat windows or relative rankings of scores. Many casual game players,however, prefer to engage in less-pressured leisure activities, often insmall social groups where they can make new friends or enhance existingrelationships.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, various design conceptsfor games in which players cooperate to help each other score points orwin prizes are described. Cooperative game play creates a differentsocial experience than games that offer zero-sum, winner take all, ornegative consequences. Cooperative game play can deliver a more positivesocial experience for the players, e.g. by providing a structured formatin which to help (and be helped) by others, through altruistic andmutually beneficial behavior.

In order to play in a game, the player first enters a “room”. That is,at any point in time, each player is assigned to a specific room,usually with other players. Once in the room, the player can collect apuzzle piece using a random selection technique. In one embodiment, therandom selection technique can be a spinner that provides puzzle pieces,points, additional spins, and/or loss of spins.

At this point, the player can “use” any puzzle piece, i.e. positioning apuzzle piece on his/her game board, offering to give a puzzle piece toanother player in the room, and/or offering to trade a puzzle piece foranother puzzle piece of another player in the room. The other player canaccept or reject the gift/trade. Similarly, the player can accept orreject gifts or trades proposed by other players. The player can repeatthe steps of collecting and using puzzle pieces until the playercompletes the puzzle. The player can earn points for completing thepuzzle, and points can be used to claim prizes.

In one game, the puzzle piece is a chain segment and a completed puzzleforms a chain having at least two end pieces or forming a loop. In thisgame, the points for completing the chain correspond to the number oflinks in the chain.

In another game, the puzzle piece is a picture piece and a completedpuzzle forms a picture.

In yet another game, the puzzle piece is a tile piece and a completedpuzzle forms a tile pattern. In this game, the points for completing thetile pattern correspond to a number of background colors. For example,in one embodiment, the fewer the number of colors in the background, thehigher the points earned.

In yet another game, the puzzle piece is a card and a completed puzzleforms a card hand. In this game, the points for completing the card handcorresponds to patterns of cards in the hand (e.g. “Royal Flush”, “TwoQueens”, “Three Eights”, etc.).

In yet another game, the puzzle piece is a layer of a layered stack(e.g. a food item, such as a hamburger or bun) and the completed puzzleforms a stack (e.g. a double cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, andonion) with proper placement of layers.

In yet another game, the puzzle piece is a letter and a completed puzzleforms a word. In this game, the game board can contain slots into whichletters are placed, and a sequence of adjacent letters that spell aproper word is a completed puzzle. In this game, the longer the wordformed, the more points earned by the player.

The above-described games can be stored on a computer-readable medium.This computer-readable medium comprises instructions that, when run on acomputer, generate signals to control the steps of a game. Exemplaryinstructions can include instructions for a player to enter a room ofthe game, instructions for the player to collect a puzzle piece using arandom selection technique, instructions for the player to use thepuzzle piece (wherein using the puzzle piece includes selectivelyperforming at least one of positioning the puzzle piece on a game board,offering to give the puzzle piece to another player in the room, andoffering to trade the puzzle piece for another puzzle piece of anotherplayer in the room), instructions for the player to accept/reject giftsor trades proposed by other players, instructions for the player torepeat collecting and using puzzle pieces until completing the puzzle,and instructions for the player to earn points for completing thepuzzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart of a game designed for a plurality ofplayers interacting and cooperating to solve puzzles.

FIG. 2 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solvingthe puzzle includes forming a completed chain.

FIG. 3 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solving amatrix puzzle includes forming a picture.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solving amatrix puzzle includes forming a pattern.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solving apuzzle includes forming a card hand.

FIG. 6 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solving apuzzle includes forming a picture having a plurality of layers in properorder.

FIG. 7 illustrates a screen shot of an exemplary game in which solving apuzzle includes assembling words.

Note that various features as described above for specific exemplarygames can easily be used in other games. To minimize undue repetitionhereafter, the description of a feature may be limited to one exemplarygame. However, the use of such feature may be applicable to one or moregames.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In contrast to most casual games, where players compete or try to “beat”each other in some fashion, the games described hereafter provideincentives for players to help each other achieve their shared orindividual goals. These games may include some or all of the followingelements: discrete puzzle pieces, combination of puzzle pieces, view ofa shared playing environment (i.e. a room) for most or all players,offering to give and/or trade puzzle pieces, and accepting/rejecting ofoffers.

A player can assemble these collected puzzle pieces according topredetermined rules set forth for the players. A correct combinationallows a player to progress in the game. This progress can be determinedby the scoring of points.

In one embodiment, the playing environment can advantageously allow eachplayer to see some or all of the current state of play for the otherplayers. This playing environment can include, but is not limited to,showing which puzzle pieces the players currently possess on their gameboards, whether the players are currently “using” the puzzle pieces, andproviding the context to determine how valuable the puzzle pieces are toanother player's strategy or situation.

In one embodiment, a player can offer to give or trade one or morepuzzle pieces to another player. This giving/trading may provideadvantages to one or both players' advantage. In one embodiment, apotential recipient of an offer can accept or reject the proposed giftor trade of puzzle pieces. Enabling reciprocal altruism of this kindhelps to reinforce a positive shared experience, stimulates socialinteraction, and creates ‘social debts’ that encourage continued play toafford opportunities to return the favor.

General Description

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart of a game designed for a plurality ofplayers interacting and cooperating to solve puzzles. In one embodiment,the game can be played over the Internet or another electroniccommunications medium.

In step 101, a player in the game can select a prize. In one embodiment,players select the prizes that they wish to play for before starting toplay. These prizes can have associated point values. Thus, each playermust earn at least the number of points associated with the selectedprize to claim that prize. In one embodiment, players can optionallychange their prize at any time during the game.

In step 102, the player can enter a “room”. This room is a virtual roomthat can include any number of visual indicators of the presence ofother players and of the nature of the game being played. In oneembodiment, a player can select the room. In another embodiment, aplayer can be assigned (e.g. by a game manager) to a room. In thisvirtual room, other players may already be active in playing the game.Advantageously, in addition to seeing and playing on his/her own gameboard (referenced herein as the “current” player), each player can viewthe game boards of some or all of the other players present in the room.However, each player in the room may have a distinct and potentiallyinconsistent view of the room, boards, or arrangements of the otherplayers.

In this embodiment, a random selection technique can be used to collecta puzzle piece in step 103. An exemplary random selection technique caninclude activating a “spinner” to collect a puzzle piece. Other examplesinclude the dealing of a card, a “grab bag”, selection of a numberedball from a rotating basket (as in Bingo), etc. In one embodiment, theplayers may pay for each spin, be limited in the number of puzzle piecesthey can acquire over a given time period, and/or otherwise have somecost or limitation imposed on their acquisition of the puzzle pieces. Inone embodiment, based on a player's actions or status in the game, thatplayer may receive one or more free “spins”.

Using the collected puzzle piece determined by the random selectiontechnique, the player can then position the puzzle piece on a game boardin attempting to complete the puzzle in step 104. Specifically, theplayer can assemble, arrange, or combine any puzzle pieces then on thegame board to form a desired result. The desired result may for examplebe a picture, a tile pattern, a card hand, or a word. The puzzle mayhave a matrix format, a stacked format, or an appropriate format for thedesired result. Step 105 determines whether the puzzle is completed.

Note that, in some embodiments, the number of pieces that can beobtained or managed at a given time may be limited. In such embodiments,a player may need to discard one or more puzzle pieces to acquire morepuzzle pieces and progress in the game.

If the puzzle is not completed, then step 106 allows a player tointeract with another player, i.e. by offering to give puzzle pieces toother players or to trade puzzle pieces with other players. That is,because the number of pieces a player has to work with may be limitedand other players' puzzle pieces are shown on their game boards, eachplayer may propose to trade or give a puzzle piece to another player.The other player can accept or reject any proposed gift/trade. If agift/trade is accepted, then the game returns to step 104 so that theplayer can continue their efforts to solve the puzzle with the newpuzzle piece. If the gift/trade is not accepted, then the player returnsto step 103 to collect another puzzle piece. Note that step 106 does notrequire the player to trade/gift puzzle pieces, but provides such anopportunity to promote cooperative and interactive behavior betweenplayers. In addition, the player may accept or reject proposedtrades/gifts from other players.

If the player has completed the puzzle (step 105), then step 107determines whether the player has earned enough points to claim theplayer's selected prize (as selected or automatically designated in step101). Players may score points in a number of ways. For example, a“spin” itself may award points or free spins (in addition to puzzlepieces). In another embodiment, partial or complete solutions to thepuzzle may earn various point values. In yet another embodiment, playersmay be rewarded for cooperative or positive behavior. In yet anotherembodiment, players may earn points based on continuous or frequentplay.

If the player has earned enough points, then the player can claim theselected prize in step 108. In one embodiment, when sufficient pointshave been earned to claim the prize, the player is offered the option ofclaiming the prize, changing to another prize, or simply continuing toearn more points that can be used to claim prizes in the future. If theplayer decides not to claim any prize, then the player can return tostep 103.

Note that at any time during the game, the player can decide to stopplaying. In one embodiment, the number of points accumulated by theplayer can be saved and used for future games.

Chain Gang

FIG. 2 illustrates a screen shot 200 of an exemplary game in whichsolving the puzzle includes forming a completed chain. In this game, thegoal is to assemble chain segments into a completed chain, e.g. a chainhaving at least two end pieces or a loop (wherein the longer thechain/loop, the more points are awarded to a player).

In this embodiment, the current player is in the center of the screen(which shows the room), with up to two other players to the left and twoto the right. Note that from each player's perspective, the designationfor that player can appear to be in the center position on that player'sscreen, since each player is viewing the room on a different screen.Further, the fact that a specific player appears in a particularposition relative to another player on their own screen (for example, tothe left of the other player) does not mean that they appear to the leftof that other player on all player's screens. That is, the arrangementof players does not need to be physically consistent across all players'screens.

As noted above, in one embodiment, a player can select a prize that theplayer wishes to play for. A picture of the prize and the number ofpoints required to claim that prize can appear over their game boardjust above their current score. For example, in the screen shot shown inFIG. 2, the prize for all players is a movie ticket available throughFandango.com™ (as shown by the Fandango logo), the number of pointsneeded to claim the movie ticket is 500,000 (shown only for the currentplayer), and the current score for the current player is 219,817 points.In one embodiment, a player can change the selected prize at any time byclicking on the picture of their current prize.

In this game, a player can take a turn by pressing the orange ‘Spin’button at the bottom center of the player's screen. In turn, a spinner201 (in this screen, just above the spin button) can rotate (e.g. fromtop to bottom) similar in appearance to a single reel of a slot machine.Each horizontal segment (in this case, 3 horizontal segments) of spinner201 can show a chain segment or a message (e.g. “10 Free Spins”, “100Free Points”, “Bad Luck” or “Try Again” (i.e. a loss of a spin), etc.).In one embodiment, spinner 201 can slow down as it turns (like a slotmachine). The element that appears in the center segment of the spinnerwhen spinner 201 stops is the result of the spin.

If spinner 201 stops on a chain segment, the chain segment can appear to“fly off” spinner 201 and land on a highlighted square on a game board202. In this game, game board 202 is a 3×3 matrix. In one embodiment, aplayer can set the location of the highlighted square by clicking on asquare before beginning the spin.

Using a mouse, the current player can then “drag and drop” chainsegments around a game board 202. In one embodiment, dragging anddropping a chain segment on a square already occupied by a chain segmentwill result in swapping locations of the two chain segments. On theother hand, if the designated square is not occupied, then the chainsegment is simply moved to that square.

If the movement(s) form a completed chain (i.e. a chain having at leasttwo end pieces or a loop), then the completed chain flashes, a sound isplayed, the player's score is incremented based on the length of thechain (longer chains with more links are worth more points), a messagesuch as “Jerry scored 300 points with a 3 piece chain” appears in thechat window, and the completed chain is cleared from the board.

Note that while this individual activity is taking place, up to fourother players in the room are independently engaged in parallel playwith their own spinners and boards. If three or more players' spinnershappen to land on the same segment or message at the same time, thoseplayers “match”, and get awarded some extra points.

If the player has chain segments that are unwanted, then the player canpropose a trade by dragging the unwanted chain segment to a square onanother player's board occupied by another chain segment. In this case,a double-ended arrow 203 can appear on the recipient's screen, therebyindicating which link on the proposing player's game board is beingoffered in return for which link on the recipient's game board. At thispoint, the recipient can click on a “yes” button to accept the trade, ora “no” button to decline. In one embodiment, the “yes” and “no” buttonscan appear in a pop-up box (not shown in this screen shot). If the tradeis accepted, then the chain segments are exchanged on both players' gameboards. In one embodiment, the proposing player can also propose to givea chain segment away, by dragging the unwanted chain segment to anunoccupied square on the recipient's game board.

In one embodiment, players can chat with each other at any time bytyping into a chat field 204 and clicking a “Send” button. Players canchange rooms (wherein any game may have a plurality of players dividedinto multiple playing rooms), change games, or log off at any timeduring a game. In one embodiment, when logging back on, a player'sprize, score, and current board can be restored to the same state theywere in when the player logged off. In one embodiment, a player's prizeand score are “portable” in that they can be taken to any other room orgame.

Picture Magic

FIG. 3 illustrates a screen shot 300 of an exemplary game in whichsolving a matrix puzzle includes forming a picture. In this game, eachplayer's goal is to assemble a completed picture out of picture pieces(i.e. the puzzle pieces). Note that the game board of game 300, likethat of game 200, is a 3×3 matrix.

In one embodiment, a horizontal segment of the spinner can also show a“wild card”. This special piece can be used in substitution for anypuzzle piece. For example, in FIG. 3, a wild card is shown in the upperright-hand corner of Kimberly's game board. In one embodiment, ifKimberly completes the picture (i.e. the puzzle), then Kimberly's scorefor completing the picture is reduced for each wild card used tocomplete the picture.

If the movement of a picture piece forms a completed picture (e.g. apicture of a horse in FIG. 3), then the completed picture flashes, asound is played, the player's score is tallied (and decremented based onthe number of wild cards used, if any), a message such as “Jerry scored2000 points by completing a picture of a horse” appears in the chatwindow, and the completed picture is cleared from the board. In oneembodiment, the player is then presented with the completed picture in apop-up window (not shown in this screen shot), where they can rate thepicture and leave a comment for others to see in the chat window. Notethat although the picture formed takes up the whole 3×3 matrix, othergame embodiments may take up fewer than all matrix segments provided forthe game board (e.g. 4 of the 9).

The player can then decide to repeat solving the puzzle using the samepicture or try to solve another puzzle using a new picture. In oneembodiment, when a player tries to solve another puzzle using a newpicture (i.e. still playing the same game), all the picture pieces onall the players' boards on the player's screen change to this newpicture. Notably, in this embodiment, different players may be workingon and looking at different pictures, even though they are in the sameroom and trading pieces. For example, the current player (in the centerposition) is working on a picture of a horse, and so the same picturepieces would appear on the other players' game boards on this player'sscreen even if the other players are actually working on other pictureson their own screens. This simultaneous use of different pictures bydifferent players is possible because only the position of the piece isimportant in assessing trades, not the actual picture each player isworking on, and each player is viewing his/her room on a separatescreen. That is, the role of each picture piece in its picture is solelydetermined by its place (e.g. a location in the matrix) in that picture.Thus, as explained previously, each player may experience a unique andphysically inconsistent representation of the room on their individualscreens.

Facets

FIG. 4 illustrates a screen shot 400 of an exemplary game in whichsolving a matrix puzzle includes forming a tile pattern. In thisparticular game, the goal is to make a smiley face out of tile pieces,wherein the fewer the background colors in the smiley face, the higherthe player's score. In this example, the current player (in the centerposition) is working on a smiley face on a one-color red background. Thecurrent player has 209,737 points out of 500,000 needed to claim theselected prize.

In game 400, if the movement of a tile piece forms a completed picture(i.e. a smiley face is formed irrespective of the number of backgroundcolors), then the completed picture flashes, a sound is played, theplayer's score is incremented based on the number of colors in thebackground of the completed smiley face (the fewer the colors the higherthe score), a message such as “Jerry scored 300 points with a face on atwo-color background.” appears in the chat window, and the player's gameboard is cleared.

Note that through careful management of the puzzle pieces, a player cansimultaneously complete two faces at a time, since each tile piece canbe used to form two faces.

Poker Pals

FIG. 5 illustrates a screen shot 500 of an exemplary game in whichsolving a puzzle includes forming a card hand. Specifically, in thisgame, the goal is to get as good a poker hand as possible. In oneembodiment, if the spinner stops on a playing card, then the card fliesoff the spinner and lands on the currently highlighted slot in the“hand” shown on the game board. Using the mouse, the player can thendrag and drop cards around the hand. This action will either swaplocations of two cards (if the highlighted slot is occupied) or simplymove the card to that slot (if the highlighted slot is not occupied).Note that in this game, only one person “Franc” is playing. Inaccordance with one aspect of the invention, even individual players canplay the game.

In one embodiment, the description of the current poker hand and itsvalue (score) appears above the hand of the current player (e.g. in thescreen shot of FIG. 5, the current player has “One Pair”, which has avalue of 25 points. When the player is satisfied with the hand, theplayer can click a Submit button 501. At this point, the completed handflashes, a sound is played, the player's score is incremented based onthe value of the hand, a message such as “Jerry scored 250 points with aRoyal Flush.” appears in the chat window, and the cards in the hand arecleared.

When the player next clicks the Spin button, five new cards appear inthe player's hand. If the player has an unwanted card, then the playercan drag the unwanted card to a slot on another player's hand (if otherplayers are currently playing), to propose a trade or a gift.

Burger Buddies

FIG. 6 illustrates a screen shot 600 of an exemplary game in whichsolving a puzzle includes forming a picture having a plurality of layersin proper order. Specifically, in this game, the goal is to assemble aproperly formed burger. For example, a properly formed burger can bedefined as having a lower bun at the bottom, an upper bun at the top,one or two meat patties, and one or more optional garnishes above thetop patty. Buns can be plain or sesame seed, but the top and bottom bunshave to match. One result of a spinner can be a layer (i.e. aningredient) in the stack (i.e. the burger).

In this embodiment, if the spinner stops on an ingredient, then theingredient flies off the spinner and lands on the currently highlightedlayer in the game board. Using the mouse, the player can drag and dropingredients to form the stack. When the placement of layers is proper,the completed stack (in this case, a burger) flashes, a sound is played,the player's score is incremented based on the value of the stack, amessage such as “Jerry scored 250 points with a sesame cheese burger.”appears in the chat window, and the stack is cleared. If the player hasunwanted ingredients, then the player can drag the unwanted ingredientto a layer on another player's stack to propose a trade or a gift.

Variants of this game include other stackable foods, such as pancakes,layer cakes, Neapolitan ice creams, etc. Note that each player can beworking on a food of their own choice, independent of the other playersin the room, and the ingredients appear differently on each player'sscreen, as long as the layer placement rules are consistent. (see“Picture Magic” for further description).

In this example, the current player's stack (in the center position) isa double cheese burger with garnish. The current player has 741,086points, or 241,086 points more than required to claim their prize. Aplayer can claim the selected prize at any time by clicking on the“Claim Prize” button 602.

Alpha Betters

FIG. 7 illustrates a screen shot 700 of an exemplary game in whichsolving a puzzle includes assembling words. Specifically, in this game,the goal is to assemble words out of letters using one or more adjacenthorizontal rows. If the spinner stops on a letter, then the letter fliesoff the spinner and lands on the currently highlighted square in thegame board. Using the mouse, the player can then drag and drop letterson squares of the game board. This will either swap locations of twoletters (if the destination square is occupied) or simply move theletter to that slot (if the destination square is not occupied).

When a real word is formed that completely fills one row, two adjacentrows, or a plurality of adjacent rows, the completed word flashes, asound is played, the player's score is incremented based on the numberof letters in that word, a message such as “Jerry scored 250 points byspelling ‘magic’.” appears in the chat window, and the word is clearedoff the board.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a word can entirely occupy one, two,or three adjacent rows on the board. Thus, a word can have 3, 4, 5, 7,9, or 12 letters.

In one embodiment, the game can provide the player a hint that a wordcould be spelled with the provided letters. For example, in FIG. 7, the5 letters that form the currently longest proper word in the lowest lineare underlined in green, thereby indicating that these letters couldspell an actual word (e.g. “shout” or “south”).

If the player has unwanted letters, the player can drag the unwantedletters to a slot on another player's game board, to propose a tradewith or gift to that other player.

In this example, the current player's board (in the center position) hasten letters, and the longest proper word is comprised of five letters(H, S, O, U, T). The current player has 528,710 points, or 28,710 pointsmore than required to claim their prize. Therefore, the current playercan claim the selected prize (i.e. the movie ticket) at any time byclicking on the “Claim Prize” button.

Implementation Embodiments

The games described above can be implemented using one or more computerprograms that execute on a programmable system including at least oneprogrammable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from,and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, atleast one input device, and at least one output device. A computerprogram can be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-orientedprogramming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; andin any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language.Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and specialpurpose microprocessors, as well as other types of micro-controllers.Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from aread-only memory and/or a random access memory. A computer can includeone or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devicesinclude magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks,magneto-optical disks, and optical disks. Storage devices suitable fortangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include allforms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices,magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks,magneto-optical disks, and CDROM disks. Any of the foregoing can besupplemented by, or incorporated in, application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs).

As described above, all games in accordance with the present inventionadvantageously rely on both skill and luck to accomplish a result, whichallows players to accumulate points. Although illustrative embodimentsof the invention have been described in detail herein with reference tothe accompanying figures, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to those precise embodiments. They are not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Assuch, many modifications and variations will be apparent. For example,although the game boards are shown using a certain size matrix, stack,or number of lines, other game boards can include any size matrix, stackheight, segment shape (e.g. triangles instead of squares) or number oflines. In addition, cooperative games could be designed in which playersshare and contribute pieces to a single board, and points scored aredivided according to some rules among the players contributing to asolution. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention bedefined by the following Claims and their equivalents.

1. A game that promotes cooperative and interactive play to complete apuzzle, the game comprising: entering a room of the game; collecting apuzzle piece using a random selection technique; using any puzzle piece,wherein using any puzzle piece includes selectively performing at leastone of positioning a puzzle piece on a game board, offering to give apuzzle piece to another player in the room, and offering to trade apuzzle piece for another puzzle piece of another player in the room;accepting/rejecting a proposed gift of a puzzle piece from anotherplayer; accepting/rejecting a proposed trade of a puzzle piece fromanother player; repeating at least collecting and using puzzle piecesuntil completing the puzzle; and earning points for completing thepuzzle.
 2. The game of claim 1, further including selecting a prize. 3.The game of claim 2, further including claiming the prize based onpoints earned.
 4. The game of claim 1, wherein the puzzle piece is awild card.
 5. The game of claim 1 wherein wild cards affect the numberof points earned for completing the puzzle.
 6. The game of claim 1,wherein the random selection technique provides one of a puzzle piece,additional points, at least one additional random selection opportunity,and a loss of a random selection opportunity.
 7. The game of claim 1,wherein the random selection technique is a spinner.
 8. The game ofclaim 1, wherein the puzzle piece is a chain segment and a completedpuzzle forms a completed chain.
 9. The game of claim 8, wherein thecompleted chain includes one of at least two end pieces and a loop. 10.The game of claim 9, wherein the points for completing the chaincorrespond to a number of links in the completed chain.
 11. The game ofclaim 1, wherein the puzzle piece is a picture piece and a completedpuzzle forms a picture.
 12. The game of claim 1, wherein the puzzlepiece is a tile piece and a completed puzzle forms a tile pattern. 13.The game of claim 12, wherein the points for completing the tile patterncorrespond to a number of background colors.
 14. The game of claim 1,wherein the puzzle piece is a card and a completed puzzle forms a cardhand.
 15. The game of claim 14, wherein the points for completing thecard hand corresponds to patterns of cards in the card hand.
 16. Thegame of claim 1, wherein the puzzle piece is a layer of a layeredarrangement and a completed puzzle forms an arrangement with properplacement of layers.
 17. The game of claim 16, wherein the layeredarrangement is a food item.
 18. The game of claim 1, wherein the puzzlepiece is a letter and a completed puzzle forms a word.
 19. The game ofclaim 18, wherein the game board includes a plurality of rows and theword includes all letters from at least one adjacent row.
 20. The gameof claim 19, wherein the points for completing the word correspond to anumber of letters in the word.
 21. The game of claim 1, wherein eachplayer has a different and potentially inconsistent view of at least oneof the room, arrangement of players, game boards, and puzzle pieces. 22.A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when run on acomputer, generate signals to control the steps of a game, the gamepromoting cooperative and interactive play to complete a puzzle, theinstructions comprising: instructions for a player to enter a room ofthe game; instructions for the player to collect a puzzle piece using arandom selection technique; instructions for the player to use anypuzzle piece, wherein using any puzzle piece includes selectivelyperforming at least one of positioning a puzzle piece on a game board,offering to give a puzzle piece to another player in the room, andoffering to trade a puzzle piece for another puzzle piece of anotherplayer in the room; instructions for the player to accept/reject aproposed gift of a puzzle piece from another player; instructions forthe player to accept/reject a proposed trade of a puzzle piece fromanother player; instructions for the player to repeat at leastcollecting and using puzzle pieces until completing the puzzle; andinstructions for the player to earn points for completing the puzzle.